Customer Service & Product Content Specialist
JetPens.com (San Jose, CA) — 2014 to Present
At JetPens, my time is split between creating written content for the site and assisting customers directly via email. The two jobs are surprisingly similar. Both require someone who can maintain a broad knowledge of the thousands of products we carry, think and research quickly on their feet to answer new questions as they arise, and—most importantly—the ability to clearly and concisely communicate information in a way that best meets the reader’s needs.
My tasks at JetPens include:
- Blog Articles—My proudest accomplishments at JetPens include the dozens of top-Google-ranking articles I’ve written for the JetPens blog, from comprehensive product guides to helpful how-to’s and beginner’s guides for people curious to explore the occasionally overwhelming world of premium stationery.
- Product Descriptions—A good first impression is essential, and that is what I provide for our customers with the carefully crafted descriptions I write for the new products we release every week. Good descriptions do far more than simply inform customers about why they should buy the product; they demonstrate our own passion for the products we carry and reassure customers that we stand behind the things we sell.
- Product Specifications—You know all that technical information tucked away in Specifications tabs—size, weight, color, and so on? Someone has to measure, research, and record all of that information, and I’m one of those people. It is a vital and surprisingly interesting task that requires both efficiency and attention to detail.
- Search Engine Optimization—The most important part of SEO is having good content. But good keywords and meta tags (the writing displayed when a page turns up in search results) are pretty important too. The SEO skills I’ve developed at JetPens are part of why my blog articles and the rest of our pages at JetPens.com are consistently at the top of Google search results.
- Customer Service—Working in an email-based customer service department is a masterclass in the importance of clear, concise communication. When a customer has a question or a problem, it’s not enough to merely know the answer. It often requires distilling an ocean of nuance into a few drops of clear, actionable intelligence. It also requires the emotional intelligence to discern the customer’s temperament and respond accordingly to create the best possible experience.
You can find writing samples from my work at JetPens in my portfolio.
Contract Employee (Market Research Analyst)
VGMarket (Redwood City, CA) — 2011
My time at VGMarket was brief but intensive. Spanning the nexus of research and communication, I analyzed data from surveys and research groups, distilled massive spreadsheets of raw data into actionable intelligence, and communicated our findings to clients through the creation of concise and compelling reports. I also recruited and interacted directly with focus group participants, and I was entrusted with the handling of sensitive materials and the dispensing of monetary and in-kind compensation.
Education
My post-secondary education was mainly in the field of economics. I earned my undergraduate degree in three years from one of the best economics programs in the country—UC San Diego—and I followed it up with a master’s program in applied economics at San Jose State.
Some people think that economics is all about money, but that’s like thinking that carpentry is all about hammers. Economics is really all about decision making. It teaches you how to use math, science, and logic to make the best choices you can and predict the choices that others will make. And just like clear writing requires clear thinking, clear decision making requires a clear understanding of what you’re trying to achieve, what your abilities and limitations are, and how your decisions will affect and be affected by the decisions of others. It is a framework that can be beneficially applied to virtually any context, whether or not money has anything to do with it.
San Jose State University
MA, Applied Economics (2011)
University of California, San Diego
BA, Economics (2009)
- Minor: Urban Studies and Planning
- Completed in 3 years.
Additional Coursework
- Fundamentals of Technical Writing – De Anza College